Introduction

NIños de Guatemala has a strong and long-standing partnership with AFAS Foundation. For more than five years AFAS Foundation is supporting different projects of the schools in Guatemala part of Niños de Guatemala. Currently, our collaboration is focused on the soy project.

The soy project

What does this project entail?

Goal: With consistent access to nutritious food, every lesson becomes more effective, which directly contributes to better concentration, academic performance, and long-term opportunities.

To make this possible, Niños de Guatemala will strengthen its school nutrition program by producing soy beverages and soy burgers. This gives students daily access to protein, while reducing costs, promoting sustainability, actively involving parents in the production process, and ultimately improving students’ attendance, academic performance, and future opportunities.

Each serving of the soy drink and soy burgers makes a significant contribution to children’s health: it covers between 30% and 40% of their daily protein requirement, about 20% of their fiber requirement, between 50% and 75% of their iron requirement, and between 15% and 20% of their calcium requirement. Production will be cost-effective and can be easily distributed among the three schools in NDG.

This approach:

● Provides children with affordable protein and essential nutrients that improve focus, energy, and performance in the classroom;

● Reduces dependence on expensive external food suppliers;

● Involves parents in food production, thereby fostering shared responsibility and awareness about nutrition;

● Optimizes NDG’s limited food budget.

Outcome:
This project will directly contribute to improving students’ health and strengthen the long- term sustainability of the nutrition program. The initiative is not only intended to improve the nutritional value of school meals, but also to reduce costs, such as those associated with purchasing milk and meat, and to encourage parent involvement.

Every month, families receive soy products to take home, along with information about nutritional value and tips for preparing meals and incorporating soy into their daily diet.

Expected results include:

● Up to 40% of children’s daily protein needs and 75% of their iron needs are met by the soy beverages.

● Improved concentration, attendance, and academic performance among students.

● Fewer preventable diseases related to malnutrition.

● Lower program costs by replacing more expensive ingredients with locally produced soy.

● Active parental involvement in nutrition education, which reinforces healthy habits at home.

● A replicable model for sustainable school meals.

● Reduced dependence on external food aid and the establishment of a lasting community resource.

In addition to the more than 400 families directly participating in this project, NDG will donate 10% of the soy milk and okara burgers produced each month to the wider community, benefiting approximately 40 additional people per month. This has two goals:

1. To prevent food waste by sharing any surplus.

2. To educate the community about the health (and sustainability) benefits of

soy products, thereby improving the community’s overall health.

Plan:

The project will be carried out in four phases, in which technical installation, hands-on training, implementation, and evaluation follow one another:

Phase 1 – Installation (1 month): Within the Nuestro Futuro elementary school, a specially equipped production area will be created with separate zones for, among other things, preparation, refrigeration, and storage.

Phase 2 – Training (1 month): members of the school community (parents) are recruited and trained to operate the machines (a paid job), through a combination of theoretical knowledge and hands-on practice.

Phase 3 – Implementation (full school year): During the school year, soy beverages and soy-based products (such as soy burgers) are incorporated into school meals. In addition, parents and families receive education on balanced nutrition and the health benefits of soy.

Phase 4 – Evaluation (1 month): An interim evaluation takes place after twelve months, followed by a final evaluation after two to three years.

Progress of the soy project

Q1

The installation and maintenance of the new kitchen and equipment have been completed. Afterward, all installed equipment was inspected. The “mechanical cow” is being further optimized.

Q2

Milestones:

The following milestones were achieved quarter two:

● An operations employee was hired: Niños de Guatemala has appointed an operations employee to oversee the daily production of soy milk and okara burgers.

● The operations staff member is undergoing training: since May 11, the staff member has been participating in a hands-on training program at external Rotary soy processing facilities, rotating among three different production sites to gain broad practical experience.

● The technical inspection of kitchen equipment and hygiene has been completed: a technical team inspected the facility. As a result, minor adjustments were made to the gas connections in early June.

The kitchen is almost operational: with the technical adjustments, a final inspection, and the first test runs, the soy-based kitchen is virtually ready to begin producing full-scale school meals for our students.

Grateful

We once more emphasize the importance of this project, which provides essential nutrition for students and increases sustainability for Niños de Guatemala by strengthening and growing their autonomy.

All of this is possible thanks to AFAS Foundation. The support and trust of the AFAS Foundation gives our team in Guatemala the resources to make a difference. On behalf of the entire Niños de Guatemala family: ¡MIL GRACIAS!